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Obama pushes for action on jobs proposals

Pioneer Press

Posted:
05/09/2013 12:01:00 AM CDT

Updated:
05/09/2013 08:55:47 PM CDT

Nation & World briefing

AUSTIN, Texas -- Offering a more upbeat view of the economy, President Barack Obama resurrected his jobs proposals Thursday, May 9, as he pushed for action on more ambitious efforts that face resistance from congressional Republicans. "We're poised for progress," he declared.

The president chose the bustling Texas capital as a backdrop to refocus on higher wages, education and a manufacturing-driven agenda that had been eclipsed by his struggles over gun control and spending cuts and his push for an overhaul of immigration laws.

"You might not know this, because if you listen to all the doom and gloom in Washington and politics, and watching cable TV sometimes you might get kind of thinking nothing is going right," Obama told students at a technology high school. "The truth is there's a lot of reasons for us to feel optimistic about where we're headed as a country."

Still, Obama said that while housing markets are improving, corporate profits are skyrocketing and the energy and auto industries are thriving, the need to boost the middle class remains.

Prince Harry visits McCain, first lady

WASHINGTON -- A buttoned-down Prince Harry joined Michelle Obama in honoring military families Thursday and toured an exhibition in Congress about land mines, opening a weeklong U.S. visit devoted to the wounded victims of war.

The British soldier-prince had one of America's most storied wounded warriors, the wisecracking Sen.

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John McCain, at his side as he viewed a display of land-mine photos, maps and mine-detection equipment, staged by a charity held dear by his late mother, Princess Diana.

As the prince entered the rotunda of the Russell Senate Office Building near the Capitol, he was greeted by a roar and shouts of "Harry!" from a crowd of about 500 people, nearly all of them women.

McCain, with a laugh, said he told Harry "I've never seen, in all the years I've been here, such an unbalanced gender crowd."

House vote on debt likely to stall out

WASHINGTON -- The House voted Thursday to allow the Treasury to continue to make payments to foreign and domestic federal creditors and Social Security recipients in the event of a stalemate over the government's statutory borrowing limit, digging in for another debt-ceiling standoff, which is looming in the fall.

The legislation, which passed 221-207, would allow limited borrowing to make payments to federal bondholders, then Social Security recipients, even if the Treasury is prohibited from borrowing to finance the rest of the government. No Democrats voted for it. Eight Republicans were opposed.

Republicans said the measure effectively took the threat of a government default off the table if the debt ceiling was breached. But opponents said the bill was unworkable and would do nothing to stave off a messy default and economic chaos once the Treasury exhausted its payment options early in the fall. The bill is unlikely to get a hearing in the Senate, and President Barack Obama has promised a veto.

Fast-rising names a high bar for babies

WASHINGTON -- Talk about high expectations for a newborn: King and Messiah are among the fastest-rising baby names for American boys.

They're just a little behind Major, the boy's name that jumped the most spots on the Social Security Administration's annual list of popular baby names.

Jacob is the most popular for boys for the 14th straight year, and Sophia is the top name for girls, according to the list released Thursday.

WASHINGTON -- The Obama administration announced Thursday that community health centers around the country will get $150 million to help uninsured Americans sign up for health insurance coverage under the new health care law.

The money addresses concerns from Congress and advocacy groups that many consumers will have a hard time navigating the health coverage options available to them next year as a mix of government programs and tax credits for private insurance kicks in.

Last month, the administration made $54 million available to states and private groups so that they could hire new health insurance "navigators." The same concept is being applied to the nation's 1,200 community health centers, which serve about 21 million patients each year, many of them without health insurance.

Kline says panel supports loan bill

WASHINGTON -- House Republicans are willing to give President Barack Obama a rare win, the chairman of the Education and Workforce Committee said Thursday in outlining a deal that would let college students avoid a costly hike on their student loans.

Rep. John Kline, R-Minn., said that his GOP-led panel would support an idea included in Obama's budget proposal that links the interest rates on student loans to market rates. To calm fears of runaway interest rates, Kline said his proposal would include a cap on interest rates that was not part of Obama's proposal.

"At the end of the day, we believe that what we've done with this bill is make sure that the borrowers, whether they're graduates or undergraduates or parents, can take advantage of the lower rates when they're available," Kline said.

Kline's proposal also would end different interest rates for subsidized and unsubsidized undergraduate loans. Both would pay the same rates, which would be linked to 10-year Treasury notes.

Gator clamps down on suspect's flight

PINELLAS PARK, Fla. -- Authorities say a Florida man ran from the law and into an alligator's jaws.

The Pinellas County Sheriff's Office said 20-year- old Bryan Zuniga was pulled over for failing to maintain a single lane about 2:50 a.m. Thursday.

Deputies say Zuniga stopped the vehicle and jumped out of the passenger door. He then broke through a vinyl fence and escaped.

The Tampa Bay area man was found at a local hospital a few hours later. He told deputies he had been attacked by an alligator near a water treatment plant. He was being treated for multiple puncture wounds to the face, arm and armpit.

He has been charged with fleeing police, driving with a suspended or revoked license and resisting an officer without violence.

All eight GOP members of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee failed to show up at the meeting to consider the nomination of Gina McCarthy, who now heads the EPA's air pollution office. Committee rules require at least two minority members to be present for a vote.

Republicans are demanding answers from the EPA on a range of transparency issues. But they aren't satisfied with the responses they've received.

Climber, dog found dead of bee stings

TUCSON, Ariz. -- A medical examiner says a Tucson climber founded dead, hanging from a southern Arizona cliff in his climbing gear, died from venom from bee stings.

Steven Johnson had hundreds of bee stings when found Monday in the Santa Rita Mountains. And the Arizona Daily Star reports that Dr. Gregory Hess says venom killed Johnson.

Searchers found Johnson, 55, and his dog dead. The dog was on the top of the cliff and also had been stung. It was buried on the mountain.

A climber who went to the area Monday said Johnson's rope was hanging within a few feet of a beehive.